Pile.



PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903.

E. VILLET.

PILE.

APPLIOATION rum) JUNE so, 1902.

NO MODEL.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.)

V EMILE VILLET, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 722,417, dated March 10, 1903. Application filed Iune 30. 1902. 7 Serial ll'o. 113,851. (No model-l To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMILE VILLET, a citithe manner of building reinforced concrete.

piles, or piles the constituent parts of which are metal and concrete.

The object of my improvements is to provide a mode of construction which will allow the piles to be built up as a whole in a horizontal position and of any desired length and also to construct the point so that it becomes an integral part of the pile and can be driven l in the hardest ground without becoming detached from it. I

The advantages offered by my piles over wood are, first, in contact with water they become harder and harder; second, they last an unlimited length of time without any special care being taken of them; third, they are fireproof; fourth, they can be used as columnar structures to support heavy weights.

The annexed drawings illustrate the construction of my pile.

Figure 1 is an elevation of pile with a part in section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section showing the point or driving end of the pile. Fig. 3 is a section on line a a of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on line b b of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on line 0 c of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a crosssection of a circular pile.

My piles may be made of various shapessquare, rectangular, or round. In all cases the metallic frame consists of longitudinal bars 1, running from the point to thehead of the pile. These bars may vary in size, ao-

In practice I have found that a round bar from one to one and a half inch in diameter was sufficient in all ordinary cases. I use four or more of these bars, according to the size of the pile. In the usual square dock-pile, which is about sixteen inches square, I use eight-one on each corner and one half-way between, as shown in Figs. 4: and 5. These longitudinal bars are bound together at intervals of about ten inches by rods 2, which are wound around each bar 1, thus forming a rigid continuous belt, which prevents buckling when the piles I are driven into the ground.

In addition to this peripheral system of bindingI use crossties 3, which I wind around the longitudinal bars 1, tying together alternately the cornerbars and the intermediate ones, care being taken in all cases to tie the two opposite bars 1' diagonally from corner-bar to corner-bar or perpendicularly to the sides from one intermediate bar to the one which is directly opposite. The object of this system of cross ties is to prevent the central part of the pile from splitting while it is driven down. These binding-rods and. cross-ties may be of any section; but I prefer to use round iron, as the angles of a square or rectangular barare likely to start incipient cracks in the concrete. In ordinary practiceI have found that iron about half an inch in diameter for binding-rods and about three-eighths for cross-ties was suflicient. I wind these rods and ties in place while hot.

In order to reinforce the point of the pile, I bend the longitudinal bars 1 inwardly, so as to cause their ends to meet, and I bind these ends together tightly by means of a ring 4;. The point is thus reinforced by the same structure as the body, and it becomes an integral part of the pile itself.

The shoe 5 of the pile may be made of four angle-irons welded together at one end into a pointed or wedge-like shape. The loose ends are spread out, giving them the proper pyramidal slope of the edges of the driving end of the pile, and I tie the four loose ends by means of the bars 6, which being buried in the concrete connect the shoe to the pile in an efiective manner. The bars 6 may be connected to the bars 1 by means of iron ties. A steel casting of the same shape as the forging just described may be used.

In building my pile of reinforced concrete I prepare a mold of iron or wood of the required cross-section and length. The iron framework is prepared on the ground, the tie-rods and the cross-ties being wound around the longitudinal bars at the proper intervals throughout the entire length. When this is ready, I ram at the bottom of the mold (this being one of the sides of the pile) the thickness of concrete necessary to form the outer crust of the pile. I then place the iron frame on top of this layer, care being taken to place the gathered lower extremities of the bars 1 with their binding-ring well inside of the iron shoe. The mold is then filled gradually and as rapidly as possible by ramming the concrete in successive layers in and around the iron frame. As all the members of this frame are made of single strandsthat is to say, as there are no double clasps with one member lying above and close to the other to form a cavity which it would be hard to reach with the rammers-the whole pile can be rammed into a strong homogeneous monolith while it lies horizontally on the ground. With my system it is therefore possible to make a pile of any length, which could not be practically done if it was rammed into shape with the mold standing on end. I prefer to use clean sand, as gravel makes too loose a concrete to stand driving. When driving my piles, I take usual and well-known methods of protecting the head. I usually make them somewhat longer than necessary, as the top of them is apt to crumble under the blows of the driver. When the pile is completed, I allow it to dry in the mold for about two days, and I then immerse it in water to harden fora length of time, depending upon the nature of the coment used.

I am aware that reinforced concrete piles have been proposed, but in these pilesthe longitudinal bars were bound by means of clasps formed of two members, so that if the mold lay horizontally these members, becoming superposed, formed a cavity into which the rammer could not reach. It was therefore necessary to build thesepiles in an upright position, putting the clasps on as the work went on. Nor are the driving ends of these proposed piles made an integral part of the pile. As constructed so far, the whole pyramidal end is exposed to break off in hard ground, while I have driven my piles in limestone, even, without accident to the point.

I do not claim a reinforced concrete pile broadly.

What I claim is- 1. A reinforced concrete pile having a metallic frame which consists of longitudinal members bound together by a series of continuous single-strand peripheral belts, and a series of single-strand cross-ties tying the opposite members in opposite pairs, substantially as shown and described.

2. A reinforced concrete pile having a reinforced point the metallic frame of which is formed by a continuation ofthe longitudinal members of the pile-frame bound together at their lower extremities, and an external metallic shoe, substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

EMILE VILLET. [L. s.]

WVitnesses:

C. A. FoLsoM, H. E. Soorr. 

